T BING 1102708 Chapter1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the general issues related to the present study. The first
section starts with the background of the study. Then it is followed by research
questions and the aims of the study. The next section presents the scope of the
study, the significance of the study, and the organization of the thesis.
1.1
Background of the Study
Modern life and fast changes require today's adolescents to be more literate and to
engage in more kinds of reading than what was required of their counterparts in
previous generations. It is because the activity of reading is an essential tool for
lifelong learning and it is regarded as the most important components in learning
language (Pandian, 1997; Mokatsi, 2005cited in Annamalai& Muniandy, 2013).
Some previous studies have proven that reading is essential. It canenhance
people’s social skills, improve hand-eye coordination, and providepeople with
endless hours of fun and entertainment. It is an access to social,economic, and
civic life (Clark & Akerman, 2006) and an underlying means ofsupporting the
success of learning process (Broaddus & Ivey, 2001; Renandya,2007 in Iftanti,
2012). It also has positive influence on academic performance (Adetunji
andOladeji, 2007). Without the ability to read, therefore, the opportunities for
academicand occupational success are limited.
Moreover, for those who live in academic environment, such as students,
reading is an imperative need. If students cannot read, they do not have the power
to accomplish their study in all academic areas (Hasselbring& Dagget,
2007).Soreading has become a necessity and basic tool of education and the
ability to read is at the heart of self-education andlifelong learning(Mokatsi, 2005
in Noor, 2011).
For EFL learners whose exposure to English is quite limited, reading
becomes one of the most crucial means by which academic knowledge is
Ferany Shaily Maulida, 2015
READING PROFILE OF EFL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: (A CASE STUDY OF EIGHTH SEMESTER
STUDENTS OF ENGLISH EDUCATION PROGRAM IN A PRIVATE COLLEGE IN SUBANG )
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
transmitted. The ability to read academic texts is considered to be one of the most
important skills that EFL learners need to acquire (Levine, Ferenze, & Reves,
2000 in Shen, 2013). However, many of the EFL learners entering higher
education are under-prepared for the reading demands that are placed for them
(Dreyer & Nel, 2003). A great majority of these students might experience
“vicious cycles,” after entering the graduate program, if they had not learned how
to read effectively and efficiently (Huang, 2006). They might dwell in their
inappropriate reading habits without knowing how to read effectively.
A lack of vocabulary knowledge is one of the largest obstacles to
efficiently comprehending academic texts in L2 (Levine & Reves, 1990). Chen
(1999), in his empirical investigation, indicated that most college students in
general universities in Taiwan have small vocabulary size of 2000-3000 words
which is far below the requirement of 5000-7000 words in order to comprehend
college English textbooks. Being unable to deal with large amount of text, they
might painstakingly rely on word-by-word reading. As a result, most of the
students had failed to handle the complicated texts and the huge number of
reading assignments during a week.
Regarding the importance of reading, it is essential that students wholearn
English as a foreign language (EFL students) establish goodEnglish reading habits
because the most spoken language of business, technology and research (FortanetGomez & Räisänen, 2008 in Hussam & Al-Sadi, 2015) as well as the driving
force behind and vehicle for knowledge transfer (Welch & Welch, 2008)
thusEnglish is widely viewed as a commodity for global communication (Crystal,
2003), and its acquisition is perceived as compulsory.
In the context of Indonesian education,the skill of reading English as part
of English subject is taught integratedly withother English skills since the students
study in Elementary school for 6 years.Some pre Elementary schools have also
included English subject in their curriculum.However, as a matter of fact, many
students seem not motivated to read which is shown by their participation and
progress in reading classes and their efforts in fulfilling assignments that require
Ferany Shaily Maulida, 2015
READING PROFILE OF EFL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: (A CASE STUDY OF EIGHTH SEMESTER
STUDENTS OF ENGLISH EDUCATION PROGRAM IN A PRIVATE COLLEGE IN SUBANG )
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
reading activity. It is assumed that the students face challenges in
reading,generally the students were in the condition which is called aliteracy
(Mikulecky, 1978 in Poppe, 2005), a condition when they actually have the ability
to read but choosing not to. Goodwin (1996 in Burak, 2004), claims that aliteracy
is an epidemic among college students. Aliteracy refers to the "lack of the reading
habit in capable readers" (Harris & Hodges, 1995, p.6 cited in Burak, 2004). Some
researchers and educators (Goodwin, 1996; Sheorey&Mokhtari, 1994) claim that
students spend minimal time reading required, and even less time reading that
which is not required. They also probably face difficulties in reading due to their
low comprehension skill including lack of vocabulary knowledge which make it
hard for them to read(Levine & Reves, 1990 in Shen 2013). Specifically this kind
of problem related to the reading activity in English as the medium.
This problem of reading does not only happen in the context where the
researcher is working, but also becomes problem in national level. In this case, the
UNDP’s Human Development Index in 2009 put Indonesia on the 111th position
out of 173 countries in terms of literacy.It shows that the reading practice in
Indonesia needs to be improved. Moreover, in literate societies such as university
and college, reading habit should be prioritized. Despite the fact that reading is
considered as important in literate societies, falling reading trends has been
indicated (Chaudry &Low, 2009).
Fostering reading habits among students is not an easy task. The
investigation of reading habits of EFL or ESL learners can raise educators’
awareness about the reading tendencies of the learners. Thus, if problems are
identified and understood, then possible solutions can be provided to find
solutions in the effort to leading learners to search, understand and get
information through reading.Therefore, studies on reading practices and habit are
required to see what actually happen among people, in this case the students, in
terms of their reading habit and attitude.
Several questions then emerged on students’ reading practices, how often
they read, what preferences they have in reading, what factors motivate them to
Ferany Shaily Maulida, 2015
READING PROFILE OF EFL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: (A CASE STUDY OF EIGHTH SEMESTER
STUDENTS OF ENGLISH EDUCATION PROGRAM IN A PRIVATE COLLEGE IN SUBANG )
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
read and obstacles they face, and what attitudes they have toward reading. Those
big questions lead to two research questions on students’ reading profile on how it
relates to students’ reading performance.
To date, there have been many studies focusing on reading profile,
practice, habit and attitude ( see Annamalai& Muniandy, 2013; Burak, 2004;
Chaudhry & Low,2009; Hasselbring & Dagget, 2007; Kirsch& Guthrie,1984;
Loan, 2011; Noor, 2011; Partin& Hendricks, 2002; Toit, 2001). The studies
investigated students’ reading practice and habit in various contexts. However,
most studies on reading profile, practice, habit and attitude listed above were
conducted in ESL (English as Second language) environments. Therefore, this
study is expected to fill in the gap of previous studies by investigating students’
reading profile and attitude in Indonesian context, specifically in a private college
in Subang.
1.2
Research Questions
Given with that context, this study attempts to answer two research questions:
1. What is the reading profile of the EFL undergraduate students?
2. How isstudents’ reading profile in relation to their reading performance?
1.3
Aims of the Study
Relevant to the research questions, this present study aims:
1.
To investigate the reading profile of the EFL undergraduate students.
2.
To analyze how students’ reading profile is in relation to their reading
performance.
1.4 Scope of the Study
Ferany Shaily Maulida, 2015
READING PROFILE OF EFL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: (A CASE STUDY OF EIGHTH SEMESTER
STUDENTS OF ENGLISH EDUCATION PROGRAM IN A PRIVATE COLLEGE IN SUBANG )
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
The scope of the study is investigation of EFL undergraduate students’ reading
profile and attitude in one private college in Subang. The participants were 65
students of eight semester of English education program. It also analyzes the
implication of students’ reading profile and attitude toward their reading
performance.
1.5 Significance of the Study
This study is potentially significant in two aspects of contribution. The first is its
theoretical contribution to research in reading practices in Indonesia. The second
is its practical contribution as information to make several policies on supporting
students’ reading habit. The third is its professional contribution for the teachers
and educators as a reflection on the current situation of students’ reading
practices.
Theoretically, this study offers some data on students’ reading profile and
attitude. The result of this study can be used to enrich the data of students’ reading
practices among undergraduate students in Indonesia. It also digs more on how
their reading habit and attitude manifest students’ reading achievement. The data
and analysis hopefully give some valuable contribution for the researchers who
are interested in this field of study.
Practically,this study is significant and valuable since identifying reading
profile is beneficial for theEFL lecturer and other Educational practitioners to help
them design learning materials and make policies on education. In this case, this
study is expected to enable teachers and educational practitionersto see the real
situation of the students’ reading practices and encourage significant efforts to
improve the situation.
Professionally, this study can be a reflection for the researcher and other
teachers to improve their teaching practices by encouraging students to read more
and give the students reading skills that they need. The skill of recognizing
Ferany Shaily Maulida, 2015
READING PROFILE OF EFL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: (A CASE STUDY OF EIGHTH SEMESTER
STUDENTS OF ENGLISH EDUCATION PROGRAM IN A PRIVATE COLLEGE IN SUBANG )
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
students’ reading problem and needs can positively improve the teachers’ way of
giving task.
1.6 Organization of the Paper
This paper consists of five chapters. Chapter I provides a general
description for the present research. This introductory chapter consists of
background, research questions, aims of the study, significance of the study,
definition of key terms, and organization of the paper.
Chapter II deals with literature review concerning several theories
underpinning the study. It covers the definition, categorization, and discussion of
reading profile, attitude and achievement.
Chapter III elaborates research method of the present study. It presents
research questions and develops research design for this study. It also explains
data collection for the present study by means of questionnaire and interviews.
Lastly, it explains the analysis process of the collected data to answer the stated
research questions.
Chapter IV presents and analyzes findings from the result of questionnaire
and interview. The findings are discussed to find out the students’ reading profiles
and attitudes. Finally the findings and analysis are synthesized to answer the
research questions.
Chapter V elaborates conclusion, limitation, and recommendation. It
concludes the synthesis of data analysis and discussion in the previous chapter. It
also presents the limitation of the study. Lastly, it mentions several potential
topics for further research in the same vein of study and several suggestions for
teachers in applying oral corrective feedback in the classroom.
Ferany Shaily Maulida, 2015
READING PROFILE OF EFL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: (A CASE STUDY OF EIGHTH SEMESTER
STUDENTS OF ENGLISH EDUCATION PROGRAM IN A PRIVATE COLLEGE IN SUBANG )
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the general issues related to the present study. The first
section starts with the background of the study. Then it is followed by research
questions and the aims of the study. The next section presents the scope of the
study, the significance of the study, and the organization of the thesis.
1.1
Background of the Study
Modern life and fast changes require today's adolescents to be more literate and to
engage in more kinds of reading than what was required of their counterparts in
previous generations. It is because the activity of reading is an essential tool for
lifelong learning and it is regarded as the most important components in learning
language (Pandian, 1997; Mokatsi, 2005cited in Annamalai& Muniandy, 2013).
Some previous studies have proven that reading is essential. It canenhance
people’s social skills, improve hand-eye coordination, and providepeople with
endless hours of fun and entertainment. It is an access to social,economic, and
civic life (Clark & Akerman, 2006) and an underlying means ofsupporting the
success of learning process (Broaddus & Ivey, 2001; Renandya,2007 in Iftanti,
2012). It also has positive influence on academic performance (Adetunji
andOladeji, 2007). Without the ability to read, therefore, the opportunities for
academicand occupational success are limited.
Moreover, for those who live in academic environment, such as students,
reading is an imperative need. If students cannot read, they do not have the power
to accomplish their study in all academic areas (Hasselbring& Dagget,
2007).Soreading has become a necessity and basic tool of education and the
ability to read is at the heart of self-education andlifelong learning(Mokatsi, 2005
in Noor, 2011).
For EFL learners whose exposure to English is quite limited, reading
becomes one of the most crucial means by which academic knowledge is
Ferany Shaily Maulida, 2015
READING PROFILE OF EFL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: (A CASE STUDY OF EIGHTH SEMESTER
STUDENTS OF ENGLISH EDUCATION PROGRAM IN A PRIVATE COLLEGE IN SUBANG )
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
transmitted. The ability to read academic texts is considered to be one of the most
important skills that EFL learners need to acquire (Levine, Ferenze, & Reves,
2000 in Shen, 2013). However, many of the EFL learners entering higher
education are under-prepared for the reading demands that are placed for them
(Dreyer & Nel, 2003). A great majority of these students might experience
“vicious cycles,” after entering the graduate program, if they had not learned how
to read effectively and efficiently (Huang, 2006). They might dwell in their
inappropriate reading habits without knowing how to read effectively.
A lack of vocabulary knowledge is one of the largest obstacles to
efficiently comprehending academic texts in L2 (Levine & Reves, 1990). Chen
(1999), in his empirical investigation, indicated that most college students in
general universities in Taiwan have small vocabulary size of 2000-3000 words
which is far below the requirement of 5000-7000 words in order to comprehend
college English textbooks. Being unable to deal with large amount of text, they
might painstakingly rely on word-by-word reading. As a result, most of the
students had failed to handle the complicated texts and the huge number of
reading assignments during a week.
Regarding the importance of reading, it is essential that students wholearn
English as a foreign language (EFL students) establish goodEnglish reading habits
because the most spoken language of business, technology and research (FortanetGomez & Räisänen, 2008 in Hussam & Al-Sadi, 2015) as well as the driving
force behind and vehicle for knowledge transfer (Welch & Welch, 2008)
thusEnglish is widely viewed as a commodity for global communication (Crystal,
2003), and its acquisition is perceived as compulsory.
In the context of Indonesian education,the skill of reading English as part
of English subject is taught integratedly withother English skills since the students
study in Elementary school for 6 years.Some pre Elementary schools have also
included English subject in their curriculum.However, as a matter of fact, many
students seem not motivated to read which is shown by their participation and
progress in reading classes and their efforts in fulfilling assignments that require
Ferany Shaily Maulida, 2015
READING PROFILE OF EFL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: (A CASE STUDY OF EIGHTH SEMESTER
STUDENTS OF ENGLISH EDUCATION PROGRAM IN A PRIVATE COLLEGE IN SUBANG )
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
reading activity. It is assumed that the students face challenges in
reading,generally the students were in the condition which is called aliteracy
(Mikulecky, 1978 in Poppe, 2005), a condition when they actually have the ability
to read but choosing not to. Goodwin (1996 in Burak, 2004), claims that aliteracy
is an epidemic among college students. Aliteracy refers to the "lack of the reading
habit in capable readers" (Harris & Hodges, 1995, p.6 cited in Burak, 2004). Some
researchers and educators (Goodwin, 1996; Sheorey&Mokhtari, 1994) claim that
students spend minimal time reading required, and even less time reading that
which is not required. They also probably face difficulties in reading due to their
low comprehension skill including lack of vocabulary knowledge which make it
hard for them to read(Levine & Reves, 1990 in Shen 2013). Specifically this kind
of problem related to the reading activity in English as the medium.
This problem of reading does not only happen in the context where the
researcher is working, but also becomes problem in national level. In this case, the
UNDP’s Human Development Index in 2009 put Indonesia on the 111th position
out of 173 countries in terms of literacy.It shows that the reading practice in
Indonesia needs to be improved. Moreover, in literate societies such as university
and college, reading habit should be prioritized. Despite the fact that reading is
considered as important in literate societies, falling reading trends has been
indicated (Chaudry &Low, 2009).
Fostering reading habits among students is not an easy task. The
investigation of reading habits of EFL or ESL learners can raise educators’
awareness about the reading tendencies of the learners. Thus, if problems are
identified and understood, then possible solutions can be provided to find
solutions in the effort to leading learners to search, understand and get
information through reading.Therefore, studies on reading practices and habit are
required to see what actually happen among people, in this case the students, in
terms of their reading habit and attitude.
Several questions then emerged on students’ reading practices, how often
they read, what preferences they have in reading, what factors motivate them to
Ferany Shaily Maulida, 2015
READING PROFILE OF EFL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: (A CASE STUDY OF EIGHTH SEMESTER
STUDENTS OF ENGLISH EDUCATION PROGRAM IN A PRIVATE COLLEGE IN SUBANG )
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
read and obstacles they face, and what attitudes they have toward reading. Those
big questions lead to two research questions on students’ reading profile on how it
relates to students’ reading performance.
To date, there have been many studies focusing on reading profile,
practice, habit and attitude ( see Annamalai& Muniandy, 2013; Burak, 2004;
Chaudhry & Low,2009; Hasselbring & Dagget, 2007; Kirsch& Guthrie,1984;
Loan, 2011; Noor, 2011; Partin& Hendricks, 2002; Toit, 2001). The studies
investigated students’ reading practice and habit in various contexts. However,
most studies on reading profile, practice, habit and attitude listed above were
conducted in ESL (English as Second language) environments. Therefore, this
study is expected to fill in the gap of previous studies by investigating students’
reading profile and attitude in Indonesian context, specifically in a private college
in Subang.
1.2
Research Questions
Given with that context, this study attempts to answer two research questions:
1. What is the reading profile of the EFL undergraduate students?
2. How isstudents’ reading profile in relation to their reading performance?
1.3
Aims of the Study
Relevant to the research questions, this present study aims:
1.
To investigate the reading profile of the EFL undergraduate students.
2.
To analyze how students’ reading profile is in relation to their reading
performance.
1.4 Scope of the Study
Ferany Shaily Maulida, 2015
READING PROFILE OF EFL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: (A CASE STUDY OF EIGHTH SEMESTER
STUDENTS OF ENGLISH EDUCATION PROGRAM IN A PRIVATE COLLEGE IN SUBANG )
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
The scope of the study is investigation of EFL undergraduate students’ reading
profile and attitude in one private college in Subang. The participants were 65
students of eight semester of English education program. It also analyzes the
implication of students’ reading profile and attitude toward their reading
performance.
1.5 Significance of the Study
This study is potentially significant in two aspects of contribution. The first is its
theoretical contribution to research in reading practices in Indonesia. The second
is its practical contribution as information to make several policies on supporting
students’ reading habit. The third is its professional contribution for the teachers
and educators as a reflection on the current situation of students’ reading
practices.
Theoretically, this study offers some data on students’ reading profile and
attitude. The result of this study can be used to enrich the data of students’ reading
practices among undergraduate students in Indonesia. It also digs more on how
their reading habit and attitude manifest students’ reading achievement. The data
and analysis hopefully give some valuable contribution for the researchers who
are interested in this field of study.
Practically,this study is significant and valuable since identifying reading
profile is beneficial for theEFL lecturer and other Educational practitioners to help
them design learning materials and make policies on education. In this case, this
study is expected to enable teachers and educational practitionersto see the real
situation of the students’ reading practices and encourage significant efforts to
improve the situation.
Professionally, this study can be a reflection for the researcher and other
teachers to improve their teaching practices by encouraging students to read more
and give the students reading skills that they need. The skill of recognizing
Ferany Shaily Maulida, 2015
READING PROFILE OF EFL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: (A CASE STUDY OF EIGHTH SEMESTER
STUDENTS OF ENGLISH EDUCATION PROGRAM IN A PRIVATE COLLEGE IN SUBANG )
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu
students’ reading problem and needs can positively improve the teachers’ way of
giving task.
1.6 Organization of the Paper
This paper consists of five chapters. Chapter I provides a general
description for the present research. This introductory chapter consists of
background, research questions, aims of the study, significance of the study,
definition of key terms, and organization of the paper.
Chapter II deals with literature review concerning several theories
underpinning the study. It covers the definition, categorization, and discussion of
reading profile, attitude and achievement.
Chapter III elaborates research method of the present study. It presents
research questions and develops research design for this study. It also explains
data collection for the present study by means of questionnaire and interviews.
Lastly, it explains the analysis process of the collected data to answer the stated
research questions.
Chapter IV presents and analyzes findings from the result of questionnaire
and interview. The findings are discussed to find out the students’ reading profiles
and attitudes. Finally the findings and analysis are synthesized to answer the
research questions.
Chapter V elaborates conclusion, limitation, and recommendation. It
concludes the synthesis of data analysis and discussion in the previous chapter. It
also presents the limitation of the study. Lastly, it mentions several potential
topics for further research in the same vein of study and several suggestions for
teachers in applying oral corrective feedback in the classroom.
Ferany Shaily Maulida, 2015
READING PROFILE OF EFL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: (A CASE STUDY OF EIGHTH SEMESTER
STUDENTS OF ENGLISH EDUCATION PROGRAM IN A PRIVATE COLLEGE IN SUBANG )
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | \.upi.edu perpustakaan.upi.edu